Chương 87: Chapter 87
I sat down on the bed, watching Unohana gently rock baby Eri in her arms. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to make sense of why I was in the past. Unohana's calming voice cut through my growing panic. "I take it this wasn't supposed to happen?" She pulled the chair from the desk and sat in front of me, a serene expression on her face as she looked down at Eri. I shook my head, still disoriented. "No, maybe? I don't know… The world was destroyed in two thousand and eight."
She hummed thoughtfully, her gaze steady. "Then wouldn't it make sense that you're in the past, considering you don't travel worlds in a linear way?"
I frowned, rubbing my eyes again. "That might make sense, if I hadn't traveled to a world that was at least a hundred years in the past." The complexity of it all weighed on me. 'Why does this have to be so complicated?'
She shook her head slightly, looking down at Eri, whose tiny hands reached up to play with her fingers. "Perhaps, since you never existed there, you didn't de-age as you would have. As for Eri, the connection might be due to the lifeforce you gave her. It could explain her presence here too, she's back in a time before she would have died."
I blinked, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, let's say that's what's happened. The next thing we need to do is leave this place." She tilted her head curiously, asking why.
"We're in Kyoto, a territory of the Shinto Faction. While I doubt most of them would pose a threat to either of us, Lady Yasaka, their leader, is another story. I'm not certain what she might do if she decides we're unwelcome here." I tried to recall the vague bits of lore about DxD. Yasaka's power was largely unknown to me, but she was rumored to rival Dragon Kings, a level I didn't fully understand.
I let out another sigh and stood up from the bed, walking closer to Unohana to pick up Eri from her arms. She stood up as well, stepping back slightly. "What are you doing, Unohana-san?" I noticed I was slightly taller than her as she spoke, her eyes closed, a serene smile on her face.
"I managed to soothe her while you were running around as if your head had been cut off," she said lightly. "I think it's better for me to look after her, especially since you seem weaker than before."
I nodded at her first point, but blinked with wide eyes at the second. "What, weaker?"
She hummed thoughtfully as she walked away, sitting back down on the bed. "Yes, it seems whatever you did to your body while here has been reverted."
I blinked again, feeling the weight of her words settle in. 'That means I haven't drunk from the Blood River. Muramasa might still be around as well.' I patted myself down, searching for any traces of Muramasa's pieces but found nothing. I even tried to access the Blood River, but felt no connection to it. My Bloodlust was absent too, despite my attempts to control it as I usually would. A headache began to form as I rubbed my temples.
"Alright, we'll take turns looking after her." I finally said. "For now, we'll need to change our clothing to fit in with where we're going."
She gave a nod, and I walked over to the wardrobe built into the wall. Opening it, I started pulling out various pieces of clothing and a few duffel bags. 'Time to start packing, I guess.' I thought with a sigh.
Three hours later, Retsu and I were dressed in casual clothing. I wore black sweatpants and a light green shirt, while Retsu, who insisted I call her by her first name, opted for black sweatpants and a fitted black shirt that looked like it was going to rip to her upper body.
As I watched her tugging at the largest shirt I owned, Eri was in my arms, playfully biting my fingers while I absently played with her. Retsu turned to me, her brow furrowing slightly. "Are you sure this is the biggest you have?"
I glanced away and to the duffel bags, then nodded. "Yeah fortunately, but we can hit a store and grab some clothes for you and Eri."
She nodded in agreement, and I handed Eri to her before grabbing the bags. As I locked the apartment, I thought. 'Not making the same mistake twice.'
Retsu broke the brief silence, asking. "You said we're leaving Kyoto. Where are we heading to, then?"
I turned to her with a smirk. "Hokkaido."
Another two hours had passed as we made our way on foot to Aomori. We arrived at the port just in time to catch a boat to Hokkaido. Now, as we walked toward a hotel for the night, we were greeted by the beauty of the stars above. Fortunately, we had found a store where Retsu could buy some clothes for herself, and I managed to find something for Eri as well. Instead of her usual kimono, she was now dressed in a pink onesie that made her look even cuter.
As we closed in on the hotel, Retsu spoke up, her tone contemplative. "It's odd."
I raised an eyebrow, curious. "What do you mean?"
"The strange calmness of this world. I'm used to relying on my Reiatsu to sense others, but here... I can't do that. At least not as well as I should be able to."
I nodded, a thoughtful hum escaping me. 'Kisuke noticed something similar.' I recalled. It seemed like she was drifting off into her own thoughts.
"I understand." I said, continuing. "my sensing is off as well. But I think it's a good thing."
Her gaze shifted to me, surprise flickering in her eyes before a calming, serene smile blossomed on her face as she turned to look at the stars. "What do you mean?"
"I'm starting to feel that this is a fresh start," I explained. "I know the dangers this world has, but they aren't aware of me. Of us."
She looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding in agreement, her smile unwavering.
We had arrived at the hotel, and now we lay in the dim room. Eri and Retsu were nestled comfortably on the bed, while I sat in a chair, overlooking them. The lights were off, casting the space in shadows, and a peaceful calm settled over us.
Retsu's voice broke the stillness, soft and contemplative. "No matter where you go, though, the stars don't seem to change."
I hummed in agreement, appreciating the simplicity of her observation. The thought lingered in my mind, as I let the soothing sounds of their breathing and the quiet envelop me, I drifted off to sleep, feeling a strange sense of hope and dread.
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